As announced during Xbox’s latest Developer Direct, Doom: The Dark Ages, the next main installment in the demon killin’ franchise, is launching on May 15 for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.
During today’s Xbox event, Microsoft showed off four upcoming games coming to Xbox and Game Pass, including the surprise reveal of a new Ninja Gaiden remake and a long-awaited sequel. And as part of the Developer Direct, Id Software and Xbox showed off more gameplay and shared more details about the upcoming medieval-themed, Hell-based prequel, Doom: The Dark Ages.
The newest Doom, announced last year, is a prequel to all the other games in the franchise, including 2016's Doom semi-reboot and 2020's Doom Eternal (and its DLC). Now, we get to see the Doom Slayer during the wars in Hell that happened eons ago in the franchise’s timeline. (Yes, the series has lore, its not all super shotguns and demons.)
In Dark Ages, the iconic Doom Slayer will face more enemies than ever before in Serious Sam-like battles in large battlefields. Thankfully, he has a dragon mount and shield saw to help even the odds. And this time around, Id Software wants you to feel like a big, heavy tank instead of a high-flying jet fighter. The studio really wants players to “stand and fight” in this entry. To help really sell the fantasy of being an unstoppable warrior, Dark Ages features three melee weapons with upgrades and finishers. Oh but don’t worry, there are plenty of wild medieval-themed firearms, too. And yes, you get a fully drivable mech, something teased in past games.
It ain’t all killing and blasting, though, as Id Software promises a lot of exploration and secrets to find. Large open levels, described by Id as “Doom sandboxes,” will include platforms and puzzles, and if you complete these challenges you’ll unlock upgrades to make the Doom Slayer a stronger murder machine. (Okay, I guess it does all come back to killing.)
Dark Ages also features a bunch of difficulty sliders that will let you change how fast and hard the game is, making it easy for everyone to hop in and kill demons.